Recently, several fashion websites have raved on how Kate Middleton brought back nude hosiery. This statement, especially in since cooler weather is coming, prompted me to think about what type of hosiery is appropriate or inappropriate. Personally, I stopped wearing nude pantyhose years ago. And when I did wear it, it was more out of habit, following in the shoes of my mother. DC summers are not commonly friends of hosiery either as the steaming heat and humidity can make wearing it particularly uncomfortable when you’re out and about in the City.
This leads me to be first recommendation: Women under 40 should not wear nude pantyhose (and women over 40 should hold off on wearing it as long as physically possible ;). There are of course religious and other exceptions here and there, but generally nude hosiery is a don’t. And nude opaque tights are always a don’t!
The main problem with nude pantyhose is color. Asking for the color nude at a hosiery dept. is like going to the hardware store and asking for a can of “off-white” paint. The various shades of nude make is so difficult to find the right shade that works for our skin tone. So, at the risk of coming off as either too washed out or too tan, I say better to go bare.
When it comes to hosiery colored anything but nude, that’s a different story. For Fall and Winter I rock sheer and semi-sheer black, off-black, and brown pantyhose and tights (with an opaque black for those really cold days). You can even do a nude with some black overlay as along as it’s not completely nude.
My personal favorites are Donna Karan Evolution because they synch you in all over without that annoying, overly-suffocating control top. Hands down the best hosiery is from Wolford. Their deigns are sophisticated and sexy and the quality it unmatchable. If you must do nude, do a Wolford nude. Wolford hosiery is very pricey so it’s wise to take advantage of Friends and Family deals at department stores and scour online sales.
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